TROGON MELANOCEPHALA.
Black-headed Trogon.

Specific CHARACTER.

Trog. capite, gutture, pectoreque nigris; dorso caudeque tectricibus superioribus saturate viri-
dibus purpureo parum tinctis; alis caudaque negris, rectrictbus intermedits duabus viridi
tinctis, eatimis utringue tribus macula quadrata alba apicali notatis ; ventre tectricibusque
caudee inferioribus aurantiacis.

Rostrum ceerulescenti-cinereum.

Bill bluish grey; whole of the head, occiput, throat, and chest black; back and upper tail-
coverts deep green with a tinge of purple; wings black; breast and under tail-coverts
orange ; tail black, the two middle feathers tinged with green, and the three outer ones on
each side black, tipped with a square spot of white.

Total length, 112 inches ; Bel, 1; wing, 543; tail, 6; tarsi, 1.

Trogon melanocephala. Gould, Proceedings of Zool. Soc., Part IT.

 

A SINGLE specimen of this new Trogon formed part of a series of birds collected in the neighbourhood of
Tamaulipas, a district of Mexico situated between Vera Cruz and the Bay of Honduras. Although it possesses
several characters by which it may be distinguished from all others of its race, the most novel and striking
feature is the colouring of the head and chest, which is uniform dull black, in consequence of which I have
given it the specific appellation of medanocephala. The specimen above mentioned is now in the collection of
the Zoological Society of London, where it will be at all times available to those who may wish to examine it
personally. I regret to add that it was much mutilated, although not to such an extent as to prevent me
from making an accurate drawing of it. I feel confident that the specimen is that of a fully adult male, and
that in point of affinity it is closely allied to Zrog. melanopterus, from which, independently of its black head,
it may readily be distinguished by having less white on the three outer tail-feathers, and by the square manner

in which the white is joined to the black.